anytype-mcp MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

Official — published by the Anytype team
Global search + space-scoped search
Object, list, type, and template management
Runs against the local Anytype client — data stays encrypted/local

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

anytype.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "anytype": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "anytype-mcp"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "anytype": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "anytype-mcp"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "anytype": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "anytype-mcp"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "anytype": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "anytype-mcp"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "anytype",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "anytype-mcp"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "anytype": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "anytype-mcp"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add anytype -- npx -y anytype-mcp

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use anytype-mcp

Capture agent research into Anytype objects

👤 Researchers, PKM enthusiasts ⏱ ~15 min beginner

When to use: You want takeaways from a Claude session to land directly in your wiki, not in another chat log you'll lose.

Prerequisites

Anytype desktop running — anytype.io
API key — Anytype → App Settings → API Keys → New

Flow

Define the target type

In my Anytype space 'Research', ensure a type 'Paper Note' exists with properties [title, summary, source, tags].✓ Copied

→ Type created or already present
Create objects from the chat content

For each paper I referenced in the last turn, create a 'Paper Note' object with summary and tags.✓ Copied

→ N objects created

Outcome: Session knowledge persisted where you can find it later.

Pitfalls

Bearer token leaked in logs — Use env var, never inline; regenerate if exposed

Combine with: zotero

Process an Anytype inbox space into typed notes

👤 PKM maintainers ⏱ ~25 min intermediate

When to use: Your 'Inbox' space piles up; you want AI to classify and file into proper types.

Flow

List inbox items

Search objects in space 'Inbox' with no type or type='Note'. Return titles + snippet.✓ Copied

→ Raw inbox list
Classify and re-type

For each, propose the right type (Idea, Task, Reference, Person) and move it to the correct space. Apply tags.✓ Copied

→ Inbox drains into structured spaces

Outcome: A continuously-processed PKM without manual triage.

Ask questions of your own wiki with Anytype MCP

👤 Anyone with years of notes ⏱ ~10 min beginner

When to use: You remember writing something relevant but can't find it.

Flow

Global search

Search all my Anytype spaces for notes mentioning 'retrieval augmentation'. Return top 10 with snippets.✓ Copied

→ Ranked hits across spaces
Synthesize

Summarize what past me thought about this topic, with links back to the objects.✓ Copied

→ Personal knowledge recap with citations

Outcome: You stop losing your own thinking.

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

anytype + zotero

Paper PDFs stay in Zotero; reading notes and syntheses live in Anytype

For papers tagged 'to-read' in Zotero, create corresponding Anytype Paper Notes with the abstract as starter content.✓ Copied

anytype + firecrawl

Scrape → summarize → save to Anytype

Scrape anthropic.com/news from the last month, summarize each post, and create an Anytype object per post.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call
global_search	query: str, limit?	Cross-space lookup
space_search	space, query	Scoped search
create_object	space, type, properties	Add new note/record
update_object	object_id, properties	Edit existing
list_types	space?	Discover schema
list_members	space	Multi-user spaces

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: None — local Anytype
Tokens per call: Full-object reads can be large if you have big notes
Monetary: Free
Tip: Prefer list_types/list_properties before creates; avoid schema drift from agent-generated types

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Credential storage: Bearer token from Anytype in env var; rotate in App Settings

Data egress: Only to 127.0.0.1:31009 by default; Anytype itself syncs end-to-end encrypted

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

Connection refused

Anytype desktop must be running; confirm API is enabled in App Settings and port 31009 isn't blocked

Verify: curl http://127.0.0.1:31009/health

401 Unauthorized

Token revoked or wrong; regenerate in App Settings → API Keys

Objects created in the wrong space

Always pass space explicitly; there's no 'default space' safety net

Alternatives

anytype-mcp vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
Notion MCP	You live in Notion; collab-first, cloud-first	Not local-first; cloud-hosted only
Obsidian MCP	You prefer a Markdown vault model	Different data model (files, not objects)

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills